Classes at Kembirch Secondary School commence

On January 17 schools reopened for the new school year, but this was not the case for Kembirch Secondary School.

Parents of the learners gathered at the satellite school on the day to get answers from Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) officials.

The GDE’s Ekurhuleni North District director, Nonceba Ntuta, and chief director, Ephraim Tau, addressed the concerned parents.

ALSO READ: How to deal with back-to-school anxiety

Among the concerns raised by parents was that the school was incomplete on the day it was meant to open.
As officials spoke with parents classes and water tanks arrived.

“Lessons cannot start until everything is sorted out. We shall have sleepless nights until the children have proper classes,” said Ntuta.

Parents questioned whether there would be security for learners and Ntuta explained that the department will bring its own patrollers to ensure the safety of the children.

“We are pleased with the support that we have been receiving from the residents, who have indicated their willingness to help us make sure we establish this beautiful school,” she said.

Ntuta assured parents that the classes delivered were a temporary measure and that a brick-and-mortar structure would be built in the future.

Ntuta told parents that Kembirch would be a fee-paying school but she could not confirm how much the school fees would be.

“The fees will be discussed once the provisional SGB has been chosen.”

She added that there was no official uniform for Kembirch Secondary School and parents were advised to dress their children in grey pants and a white shirt for the time being.

ALSO READ: Birchleigh residents up in arms over proposed satellite school

“The SGB that will be elected will be an interim one. Once the school has been established we will then have an election for a permanent SGB structure”

Ntuta said the department will deploy a container that would function as a tuckshop for learners.

“This will ensure learners do not leave the school premises to buy food and cold drinks at the nearby shops during the break.”

She added that the school will have 851 learners at a ratio of 35 learners per teacher and a total of 18 teachers.

While the Kempton Express was at the school there was commotion when the issue of the first additional language was brought up.

Some of the parents in attendance wanted the first additional language to be an African language while others disagreed and wanted Afrikaans instead.

Parents argued that children had learnt Afrikaans as a first additional language since Grade One and said it would not make sense for them to start learning an African language in Grade Eight.

The department officials and the majority of the parents decided on Afrikaans as the first additional language for the school.

ALSO READ: New principal appointed for Kempton Panorama School

Responding to questions from parents, Tau stated that classes will commence on January 22.

He said classes could not start until everything at Kembirch was in order.

Parents also questioned which extra mural activities would be available for children.

Tau said that the SGB and parents can decide on the matter. He also confirmed that the school would have an interim principal.

“This is a new school and posts in the department of education have to be advertised. The principal was appointed temporarily because we have no time to waste as we are trying to get the school up and running.

“The principal position will be advertised and the interim principal will manage the school until a permanent one is appointed,” he said.

Tau added that the school will have two phases.

“We have a phase that starts with Grade 8 and 9, and then we have another phase that starts with Grade 10 and ends with Grade 12.

“The Grade Eight and Nine phase is what we call general education and training and they do all the subjects.

When they are in Grade 9, the teachers start preparing learners for Grade 10 where the learners will choose subjects that they want to proceed with to Grade 12.

“The teachers that will be teaching at the school will be allocated subjects according to the general education and training phase.

“When the children go to Grade 10, they will proceed with some of the teachers as they start to specialise in specific subjects.”

Kempton Express caught up with Action SA caucus leader Siyanda Makhubo.

“Today is the first day of school but not for learners of Kembirch. On January 16, we were here when a few classes were delivered and we were told there should be a total of 21 containers. We are concerned because we want our children to succeed.”

ALSO READ: School hosts anti-bullying campaign

Makhubo added that the department didn’t do their due diligence as the area was initially planned to be a recreational park and not a school.

“Residents are not happy as they were not informed by the department that a school will now be built instead of a recreational park.”

On January 2, ward councillor Amanda Davison wrote an open letter to the Gauteng Department of Education and City of Ekurhuleni, asking for clarity on the school.

“The department did not inform the city about setting up the satellite school in Birchleigh. At first, I thought it was a land grab when construction workers started working here, so I came with the police to stop them.

“Later I received a call from the department telling me it is their land and they are building a school. I was puzzled because as a councillor I had no idea of this. The city also had no idea,” she said.

ALSO READ: Walk A Mile in My Shoes initiative brings joy to school

When the Kempton Express visited the school on Monday, learners were allocated to their classes.

The tuck shop had not arrived, and parents were told that school would close at midday because some of the ablution facilities had not been connected to the available infrastructure.

A further enquiry was sent to the GDE and the comment requested will form part of the follow-up reportage on Kembirch Secondary School.

Also follow us on: